Beyerdynamic is one of the few serious headphone brands that hasn’t exerted too much effort to break into the growing true wireless earbuds market – until now, that is. Meet the new Amiron 300, an in-ear design that complements the company’s Aventho 300 over-ear headphone offering. This German company only introduces new models when necessary, which is good inasmuch as it gives users a real reason to upgrade. However, not being very prolific in this market sector means that Beyer products don’t get as much airtime as some of its more proactive rivals.

UP CLOSE

The Amiron 300 has all you need from in-ear headphones in this day and age. With active noise cancellation (ANC), support for the hi-res LDAC codec, decent battery life and a reasonable price tag, this design is also incredibly comfortable to wear. The earbuds even let you lie down with them in situ without discomfort and don’t cause fatigue even when worn for long periods of time.

All of these are handy since the product has a very long battery life. With up to 7 hours when ANC is activated or up to 10 hours without ANC, there is more than enough juice for most people’s commutes without any issues. Moreover, paired with the charging case, the Amiron 300 has up to 38 hours of battery life, which is well above average. The slim charging case easily slips into a bag or pocket, so it’s surprising that the case holds so much extra charge. Our black option pops visually thanks to the orange accents on the M-size ear tips.

The touch controls work seamlessly, and the Beyerdynamic app offers a good amount of customisation. The latter is relatively simple but offers almost everything one needs. You can see the estimated hours left on the earbuds, get firmware updates, and more.

One major downside is that you cannot ping the earbuds from an iPhone if you lose them. There is a way to find lost earbuds, but it’s only available if you pair them to your Android phone via Google Fast Pair and use the ‘Find My Device’ feature. So, even if you pair the earbuds with your Android phone in the usual way, you can’t use the feature, and you’ll have to unpair the earbuds and repair them using Google Fast Pair to access them. This leaves iPhone users out of luck if they ever lose their earbuds. In fact, there’s no warning or way to figure this out in the app. I had to dig through Beyerdynamic’s Help Centre to find this article because I thought I had misplaced one earbud, which I luckily found shortly after.

This isn’t the only software quibble I have with the Amiron 300. Something I’ve noticed is that even if you turn the ANC on, the earbuds automatically revert back to the ANC off mode once you put the earbuds back into the case and then take them out again. This means you’ll perpetually have to reactivate ANC whenever you put on the earbuds instead of remembering which ANC mode you’re on. It is annoying, but thankfully, both these issues can easily be solved with future software updates if Beyerdynamic is inclined to fix them.

The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.3 and the standard SBC and AAC codecs, although if you’re using an Android device, you’ll have access to LDAC. At this point, it really feels as if Beyerdynamic is focusing on consumers using Android phones and ignoring iPhone users.

THE LISTENING

Thanks to its single dynamic driver, the Amiron 300 sounds cohesive without having to worry about crossovers and specialised sound tuning. Generally, it sounds very good, with a wide soundstage on the default EQ setting, albeit not quite as spacious as some rivals. There’s a good sense of instrument location and accuracy. Listening to Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams and hearing that first cymbal crash perfectly placed off to the right always gives me goosebumps when it’s done well.

Bass is decent and has a good impact, although it feels a little laidback for a dynamic driver. In more complex tracks, the low frequencies seem to bleed up into the lower mids just a touch. There’s a reasonable amount of rumble, although this feels a bit looser and not as controlled as one would hope at times. Things look up in the midrange, with an emphasis on clarity. Guitar strums are well carried, and vocals are nicely presented and have due prominence in the mix. Listening to Birds by Dominique Fils-Aimé is a satisfying experience, with percussion and vocals standing out well, thanks to Beyerdynamic’s clever voicing. Treble is good, although it will be a touch too relaxed for some tastes, perhaps. There’s enough energy here to elevate female vocals, but the sound isn’t quite as sparkly as I would like.

Compared to the Amiron 100, which is the company’s more affordable model with a stem design – and has slightly less battery life and no LDAC support – the 300 sounds quite different. There’s definitely more of a bass-heavy, v-shaped signature on the 100, which is great for pop since there’s that natural emphasis on the lows and mids. However, the sound isn’t quite as crisp and detailed as the 300. This is to be expected since this is the more affordable option. The soundstage is also a bit cramped, with the music feeling as if it’s in your head rather than having a more spacious stage with accurate instrument placement. The 100 has less room for each instrument in the mix to roam, so to speak.

The active noise cancellation works quite well on both these earbud designs. With music playing and the ANC turned on, most loud commute noises are dampened down. You still get snippets of conversation and high-pitched noises like clinking cutlery sneaking in, but to be fair, most earbuds struggle to effectively remove upper-range sounds.

THE VERDICT

The Beyerdynamic Amiron 300 does many things right. Its earbuds are small and very comfortable, while the charging case looks sleek and holds a good amount of charge. The earbuds themselves have a long battery life. The sound signature is interesting, moving away from the bass-heavy trend we’ve seen in other competitors to focus on the midrange and treble instead. Many of us will find that most refreshing.

The noise cancelling is effective, and there’s support for LDAC. Still, the earbuds are let down by some dubious software choices, such as the lack of ability to ping missing earbuds on an iPhone and the need to reset the ANC every time the earbuds are put back into the case. If Beyerdynamic fixes those problems, then the Amiron 300 will be an even easier pair of true wireless earbuds to recommend.

For more information visit Beyerdynamic